Wolves Press Clippings

Author: Associated Press
Wade and Heat roll past Timberwolves, 96-84The Miami Heat were pummeling the young Minnesota Timberwolves into submission, but couldn't quite get the knockout punch they were looking for.

Dwyane Wade delivered it. In a flash.

Wade showed no ill effects from a migraine headache two days ago, scoring 25 points to lead the Heat to a 96-84 victory over the Timberwolves on Thursday night.

Wade's 60-foot heave at the end of the first half punctuated a dazzling final 3 minutes that turned a three-point lead into a 10-point advantage. In a game in which the Timberwolves couldn't make a shot, that was more than enough.

"It was a good moment," Wade said. "I just watched it on Instagram and I (saw) the team. A lot of guys knew it was in when I shot it. Just a cool moment."

Chris Bosh had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Heat, who were playing one day after reserve guard Gerald Green was hospitalized for unspecified reasons. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Green's condition had improved by Thursday, but it remained unclear why he was hospitalized and how long he will be away.

Shabazz Muhammad had 14 points and six rebounds on a brutal shooting night for the Timberwolves, who shot just 35 percent from the field. Andrew Wigginswas 5 for 18 and Karl-Anthony Towns made just 3 of 13 shots.

"We didn't play like a team tonight," Muhammad said. "We played like a bunch of individuals. That's something we have to learn. I know we have a lot of young guys, but it's about winning."

Wade suffered a migraine in the third quarter against Atlanta on Tuesday, but he was able to finish the game. He looked like his old self on Thursday and helped Miami close the first half.

Wade scored on a drive, fed Bosh for a dunk and schooled Wiggins on a pump-fake jumper that drew a foul. And just when the Wolves were hoping to limp into the half with a manageable seven-point deficit, Wade poked the ball away fromRicky Rubio and let it fly as the buzzer sounded. Splash.

Wade blew a "3 kiss" to the crowd, and kept working the young Wolves the rest of the way. He made 11 of 19 shots and is one of only six players in the league to score at least 20 points in every game this season.

"You love to see it because when we see him at the facility as much as the staff, what you see is the commitment," Spoelstra said. "Players have to adapt with age and hopefully he's like a fine wine."

Hassan Whiteside had 12 points and nine rebounds for Miami. He blocked four shots but altered countless others in a dominant effort in the paint.

Heat: The Heat lead 22-15 after the first quarter, their first lead going into the second quarter this season. ... Heat G Josh Richardson made his NBA debut, playing 7 minutes. ... Spoelstra went with a lineup full of left-handed shooters twice, with Josh McRoberts, Bosh, Tyler Johnson, Justise Winslow and Dragic.

Heat guard Mario Chalmers did not play while resting a sore right knee. The night off may have been as good for him mentally as it was physically after a harrowing couple of days. Chalmers was the subject of trade rumors earlier this week, then rode in the ambulance as Green was rushed to the hospital on Wednesday. "You know I just tried to be there for my teammate," Chalmers said.

Timberwolves coach Sam Mitchell isn't one for flowery praise, but he spoke glowingly of Bosh before the game. Mitchell coached Bosh in Toronto from 2004-08. "He will always have a special place in my heart," Mitchell said. "As a young coach, he just made my life so much easier." Bosh joked that Mitchell was "the loudest" coach he's ever played for. "He was kind of my vet and my coach all at the same time. He mentored me quite a bit," Bosh said. "I think he's going to be very good for Towns and Wiggins and all the young fellas here."

UP NEXT

Heat: Visit Indiana on Friday.

Timberwolves: Visit Chicago on Saturday.

Wolves Press Clippings

Author: Kent Youngblood
Veteran Miami schools youthful Wolves 96-84One of coach Sam Mitchell’s favorite sayings so far in this young Timberwolves season is that you can’t fast-forward a young player’s development. A 19-year-old can’t turn 24 overnight.
Translation: You have to live with the growing pains.
And boy, was it painful Thursday night.
The veteran Miami Heat — a team expected to make the Eastern Conference playoffs — came to Target Center and beat the Wolves 96-84. The Heat led by as many as 21 points late in the game. All five Miami starters scored in double figures, led by Dwyane Wade’s 25, as the Heat starters outscored their Wolves counterpoints 81-29.
Over the course of four quarters, Mitchell saw his young team start missing shots, abandon the game plan and revert to a 1-on-1 game and ultimately turn in the Wolves’ worst offensive performance of the season in both points and field-goal shooting (35.3 percent).
“It’s just a young team learning how to play basketball,” Mitchell said. “The thing I laugh about every day is, they think they know how to play. That’s the toughest thing with kids today, they think they know how to play. It will take a certain amount of failure before they realize you’re not going to reinvent this game. It’s simple. Run, rebound, defend, make the extra pass.”
Wolves Gorgui Dieng got called for the offensive foul against Miami's Josh McRoberts during the first half.

Wolves Gorgui Dieng got called for the offensive foul against Miami's Josh McRoberts during the first half.

Rookie center Karl-Anthony Towns made three of 13 shots, had only four rebounds and was a remarkable minus-21 in just over 22 minutes of playing time. Andrew Wiggins was 5-for-18 and a minus-19.
There were a couple bright spots. Shabazz Muhammad brought energy and Kevin Martin a calm off the bench; both scored 14 points for a Wolves bench that shot 43.2 percent and scored 55 points.
But the veteran Heat made the youngsters pay. Chris Bosh had 16 points and 12 rebounds. Center Hassan Whiteside had 12 and nine. Guard Goran Dragic had 18 points.
The Heat (3-2) led by seven after a quarter, 10 at the half, 12 after three and 21 with four minutes left.
Wiggins said he liked the shots he was getting and that they would eventually start to fall. He wasn’t alone.
“I got the shots I wanted,” said Towns, who failed to score in double figures for the first time. “Easily got the shots I wanted, got ’em in my sweet spots. [Thursday] they didn’t fall. I have the motto if it’s going in and out one night, the next opponent should be worried.”
But it was Mitchell who sounded, if not worried, at least frustrated.
“They have to learn from these times,” he said of the Wolves, who dropped to 2-2 with a second consecutive home loss. “It’s not just the fact that we have a game like this. So we had it. My biggest hope is we learn from it. Because there will be another time when the ball’s not going in. That’s when we have to understand we have to set better screens, run, make better passes.”
Perhaps because of the way the game was going, Mitchell’s rotation dramatically changed. Ricky Rubio played only 24 minutes because Mitchell wanted to save him with the game getting out of hand. Late in the game, Mitchell gave veteran guard Andre Miller his first playing time of the season, and the result was a return of ball movement and a relatively strong finish.
“I think if you move the ball, great things happen,” Muhammad said. “That’s something we need to worry about. We started the season 2-0 and we played the right way. I don’t know what we saw out there [Thursday].”
Mitchell was asked if a young team needs a game like this once in a while to remind them what it takes to win.
“You’re probably right,” he said. “But, as you get older, you can’t take too many games like this.”